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“I think part and parcel with cricket, international cricket in particular, these days is you’re managing your time so you’re staying as fresh as possible with the cricket coming up,

“It was a choice. I was looking at all the cricket coming up and it was important to take that little bit of time off which was something we managed well within the group within the international calender with many players having some time off.”

Also joining up with the squad after a stint in England will be former captain, Ross Taylor, who rounded off his spell with Sussex in style, as he hit 142 and 68 in a four day game against Kent.

New Zealand face off against Zimbabwe in two Tests in July and August, before crossing the Limpopo river to take on South Africa in a further two Tests.